Voters in cities of Covington, Kent and Fire District 37 in King County will decide in a special election April 27 whether to approve a regional fire authority plan.
Proposition No. 1 asks voters to approve the merging of the Kent Fire Department and Fire District 37 into a regional fire authority. The Kent Fire Department provides fire and emergency medical services to Covington, which is part of Fire District 37.
The measure requires 60 percent or a super majority to pass.
The Covington City Council passed a resolution Feb. 23 supporting the proposition.
According to Kent Fire Chief Jim Schneider, “It’s all about the economy of scale. Reducing costs and still maintaining service. We cannot continue to provide service at this cost. We all know the tax dollars are shrinking.”
According to Schneider, this plan will allow the fire authority to maintain the current level of fire and emergency service.
If approved, the Kent Regional Fire Authority will keep the The Kent Fire Department name. A six-member board of commissioners will govern the fire authority with three members elected from the city of Kent and three from Fire District 37.
There will also be a citizens advisory board for the fire authority.
Covington will be represented by the commissioners elected from the district and a City Council member will be a non-voting member of the commission.
The funding for the authority will come from two sources, a six-year fire benefit charge and property taxes.
The property tax assessment would not exceed $1 per $1,000 of assessed value, which replaces the existing $1.50 per $1,000.
The fire benefit charge assesses the cost of providing fire protection to a specific building.
According to documentation on the Kent Fire Department Web site, the fire benefit fee is based on three factors, the use, size and risk of the building.
According to information presented by Schneider to the Covington City Council Feb. 9, in 2009 a homeowner paid $459 for fire services in a home with an assessed value of $306,000.
The same homeowner in 2010 saw the assessed value of the home drop to $240,000 and the owner paid $360 for fire services.
In 2011 if the fire authority measure passes, that same homeowner will pay $388 for fire services, which includes both property tax and the benefit charge.
According to the information provided by fire department officials, a homeowner will pay less for fire services than was paid in 2009 and slightly more than 2010.
If the measure passes, the fire authority would be formed July 1.
